Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-24
TELEPHONE BURGLARY.

Mr. Bradley was standing not more than 9
foot from the telephone when it began ring
Ing. Instantly applying the instrument tr
his ear, and calling Hello be beard some
one voice family hack:
Hello, l. that Mr. Eradleyr
YES, he rrpiicd Who are you"
as 1t Mr. Henry A. Bradley, OF Cotton
Hill,"
Yes; sir, that is my name and residence
Who are yous'
"You must not he surprised. Mr.. Bradley
but ] am burglar in your house on Cotton
Hill
What on the living earth do yoI meanr'
"Just what say-s burglar in your houss
on Cotton Hill, and talking with you here a,
the telephone. You are necessarily excited
by this information, but try to compose your
self, the squeaking voice went on
Great heavens! Compose myself You
infamous scoundrel, what are you dong IN
my housef'
Precisely what have sal :, Mr.. Bradley
I am professional burglar i really bops
YOU will take this quietly. Il VIII be TO your
advantage. you know: I will show you that
Il shall take it quietly, you poor sinner, by
starting a squad of police up the hill after
You in less than ten minutes. Say your
prayers for strong legs, for you will noed
them more than you ever did before"
You cannot do it, sir. Listen to ne and
will show You that l know all about the situa-
ton. In the first place. your house is the
only one on this hill, except MIR. Boyd's. i'm
medistely across the street. and he is away in
the country for the summer In the second
place, the nearest inhabited house Is half a
mile distant, at the foot of the hill, and the
nearest telephone except the one in your
neighbor Boyd's is at W inchester five miles of
Now, know you might ring up the Winches-
ter telephone, but it is a long way of, and
besides, there is no squad OF policemen there.
l should not wonder the towns single
guardian were asleep somewhere in n corner.
Don't you see that know all about the place,
and that you had better be persuaded To take
it quietly"
what in the dence do you want, nyhow''
queried Mr.. Bradley, ignoring the question
with which the burglar had ended
-For one matter, to assure you that | am
perfectly we'll posted in all your affairs. which
will take but a few werds. You are by
present occupation Mr.. Bradley, treasurer Of
the Nonontauk wooden mills
That's correct enough"
"And the 3it,i of every month you go out
to the mills with $4,000 in gresnhacks, done
up in bundle, like groceries, for pay day"
1Yes; we pay our employees monthly"
"You need not be at the trouble Of answer
ing; will go right through with the facts Of
the case As say. the Joth of every month
YOU go out To the mills. Well, the 3oth came
yesterday; but You missed the Lowell ex-
press, which you usually take, and you had
20 postpone your trip until to o-day. So you
took the local train instead and you came
out to Colton Hill, bringing the money home
with you. Then in the evening, when sitting
ut supper, you told your wife that you dis
liked carrying the greenbacks so much about
and that you would leave them in the house
until this afternoon, when you would call tor
them on the way ~ the mills Have 1 been
correctr
Possibly; but I must tell You that the
money is not there. IL will be a great disap-
pointment to you, but brought it into The
Office this morning
well, well, l will try to bear it. But
listen 10 the rest OF my tale. After supper
you appeared 10 hide those gr-enbacks in
some place upstairs, and this morning, for
some reason, when you started for Boston
with your wife, you did not bave the bundle
which you brought home with you yesterday.
How am to understand that's"
by the use of your reasoning faculty.
There are many ways of carrying money"
"My reasoning faculty is just what troubles
me; the more l reason the more ! an con
WINGED that the money is here IN this house
OF course YOU will never admit it without
some inducement, and therefore have a plan
to propose for the adjustment of this whole
matter-on a basis Of mutual benefit. I mean.
l will now state it. My name Is Smith, by
the way"
"Very well, Mr. Smith cannot say that
must say that our present relation seems to
me very unconventional"
Unconventional, Mr.. Bradley, yes. but not
without its conveniences. Just see. Though
a burglar in the house, am able, by means
Of the latest refinement of civilized invention,
to converse with the very owner himself.
who knows all hooks and corners. And
you, also, the owner, are present at an occur
renee Of great Importance to yourself, instead
of remaining ignorant until all is over, as
usually happens
oh, well, II you talk in that way. Pray
how and when did you enter my house Mr..
Smith, and how am | to know that you are,
in fact, talking with me from there, and not
from some other point on the liner
Il entered at the rear kitchen window as
soon as | saw you and Mrs. Bradley start
down the hill You can easily make sure Of
my presence here by asking he some question
about the ROOM
VERY we'll There is small picture over
the telephone. Can you describe it,
Il can. Ii is an etching-three mice in 9
trap. Its 10y Rajon"
You are undoubtedly on the premises.
Yes, there's no question but that you are in
my west sitting room on Cotton Hill And
being sure of the impossibility Of inter
ruption, since the nearest telegraph station is
five miles distant, you have feeling that you
can take matters comfortably. Do succeed
in grasping your view of tine situatonr
Admirably; perfectly"
.You say also that you are in communica-
ton, by means OF the latest refinement OF
as YOU express it, with the owner
of this house, and that l, the owner. am as
good as present at an affair OF great import
ance to myself-though don't see yet where
the benefit to me comes in. But you have
some plan TO propose about that"
''Just so. II delights me To bear YOU take
the matter so sensibly. The truth is, the
that have in view will be quite
as much for your advantage as for mine, the
money that is here
mo, no: you are mistaken"
"Oh. of course you must protest, Mr.. Brad
ley, but know that it is here, and
ALLOW me-we cannot both talk at cnce,
and pay the rent for this telephone. II "A
true. indeed, that / did not bring N bundle
this morning. but carried in the greenbacks
quite the same in one of my bootlegs, and
they are in the safe now, so Shat if the plan
you have to reveal relates to them, feel
quite sure that it will be disappointed.
I'VE shall see-we shall see. Did | under
stand you TO say that You carried the green
backs to the city in one of your bootlegsP
"Yes, sir, In one of my bootlegs-the left
one"
Il don't want to be inauisitive, but what
sized boots do you wearF
items
items suppose you have three or four